FEBRUARY 2022

VOlUME 05 ISSUE 02 FEBRUARY 2022
How Should an Attorney Deal with High Technology in Their Law Practice?
Donald L. Buresh, Ph.D., J.D., LL.M.
Morgan State University
DOI : https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v5-i2-14

Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT

In this essay, the modifications of the American Bar Association Model Rules are discussed with regards to an attorney’s responsibilities when dealing with technology. In particular, an attorney is accountable for having a reasonable appreciation of technology functions, mainly when protecting client data or the data entrusted to their care. The paper briefly describes the common law and regulatory law associated with safeguarding data. Compliance with existing ABA Rules and federal and state statutes is paramount. Finally, the article discusses that attorney responsibilities regarding electronic discovery, automated document assembly. Electronic court filing, how a client employs technology, the presenting of digital evidence in a courtroom, and open-source Internet investigations and research tools. The paper concludes that constant vigilance is the order of the day.

KEYWORDS:

ABA Model Rules, Automated document assembly, E-discovery, Electronic court filing, Open-source investigations, Presenting digital evidence

REFERENCES

1) David G. Reis, Cybersecurity for Attorneys: The Ethics of Securing Your Virtual Practice, LAW PRACTICE TODAY (Oct. 15, 2021), available at https://www.lawpracticetoday.org/article/cybersecurity-for-attorneys-the-ethics-of-securing-your-virtual-practice/.

2) Spear Phishing, TREND MICRO (n.d.), available at https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/definition/spear-phishing.

3) Ransomware, TREND MICRO (n.d.), available at https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/definition/ransomware.

4) Maria Korolov, Supply Chain Attacks Show Why You Should Be Wary of Third-Party Providers, CSO UNITED STATES (Dec. 27, 2021), available at https://www.csoonline.com/article/3191947/supply-chain-attacks-show-why-you-should-be-wary-of-third-party-providers.html.

5) Donald L. Buresh, Legal, Marketing, and Advertising Issues with Big Data, 1 JOURNAL OF BIG DATA RESEARCH 2, 38-52 (Jan. 2022), available at DOI: 10.14302/issn.2768-0207.jbr-21-4048.

6) Donald L. Buresh, A Comparison between the European and American Approaches to Privacy, 6 INDONESIAN J. OF INT. AND COMP. L. 253, (2019), https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/indjicl6&div=16&id=&page=.

7) California Privacy Rights Act of 2020, PROP. 24, available at https://vig.cdn.sos.ca.gov/2020/general/pdf/topl-prop24.pdf.

8) Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act of 2021, SB1392, available at https://legiscan.com/VA/text/SB1392/id/2328317.

9) Colorado Privacy Act of 2021, SB21-190, available at https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2021A/bills/2021a_190_enr.pdf.

10) Nevada Privacy Law, NRS 603A.300 – 603A.360 AS AMENDED BY SB 220, available at https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-603a.html.

11) An Act To Protect the Privacy of Online Customer Information, LD 946, available at https://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_129th/billtexts/SP027501.asp.

12) Donald L. Buresh, Should Personal Information and Biometric Data Be Protected under a Comprehensive Federal Privacy Statute that Uses the California Consumer Privacy Act and the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act as Model Laws?, 38 SANTA CLARA HIGH TECH. L. J. 1, 39-93 (Oct. 2021), https://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/chtlj/vol38/iss1/2/.

13) Donald L. Buresh, supra, note 16.

14) David G. Reis, supra, note 1.

15) IT Governance Staff, What is Cyber Security? Definition and Best Practices, IT GOVERNANCE (n.d.), available at https://www.itgovernance.co.uk/what-is-cybersecurity.

16) Bill Bernard, What Is CIA (in Cybersecurity)?, DEEPWATCH (Dec. 21, 2020), available at https://www.deepwatch.com/blog/cia-in-cybersecurity/.

17) Donald L. Buresh, supra, note 16.

18) Bethany K. Laurence, Ten Tips for Making Solid Business Agreements and Contracts, NOLO (n.d.), available at https://www.nolo.com/ legal-encyclopedia/make-business-contract-agreement-30313.html.

19) CDS Staff, The Basics: What is e-Discovery?, COMPLETE DISCOVERY SOURCE (n.d.), available at https://cdslegal.com/knowledge/the-basics-what-is-e-discovery/.

20) Legal Information Institute Staff, Rule 26. Duty to Disclose: General Provisions Governing Discover, LEGAL INFORMATION INSTITUTE (n.d.), available at https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcp/rule_26.

21) Carlos Schults, Automated Documentation: What It Means and 3 Tools to Help, SUBMAIN (Jul. 23, 2019), available at https://blog.submain.com/automated-documentation-3-tools/.

22) Bigtincan Staff, What is Document Automation?, BIGTINCAN, CORP. (n.d.), available at https://www.bigtincan.com/company/.

23) Epsillion Staff, Five Common Mistakes Professionals Make When Choosing Document Automation Software, EPSILLION SOFTWARE, LTD. (Jul. 26, 2020), available at https://www.epsillion.com/blog/commonMistakesChooseDocumentAutomationSoftware.php.

24) See generally, JAMES E. MCMILLAN, J. DOUGLAS WALKER, & LAWRENCE B. WEBSTER, A GUIDEBOOK FOR ELECTRONIC COURT FILING (West Group, Inc. 1998), available at https://www.srln.org/system/files/attachments/A_Guidebook_for_Electronic_Court_Filing.pdf.

25) Dina Temple-Raston, A ‘Worst Nightmare’ Cyberattack: The Untold Story of the SolarWinds Attack, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO (NPR) (Apr. 16, 2021), available at https://www.npr.org/2021/04/16/985439655/a-worst-nightmare-cyberattack-the-untold-story-of-the-solarwinds-hack.

26) Andy Greenberg, Hacker Lexicon: What Is a Supply Chain Attack?, WIRED (May 31, 2021), available at https://www.wired.com/story/hacker-lexicon-what-is-a-supply-chain-attack/.

27) Vijay A. D’Souza, SolarWinds Cyberattack Demands Significant Federal and Private-Sector Response (infographic), WATCHBLOG (Apr. 22, 2021), available at https://www.gao.gov/blog/solarwinds-cyberattack-demands-significant-federal-and-private-sector-response-infographic.

28) Digital Evidence in the Courtroom: A Guide For Law Enforcement and Prosecutors, U.S. Department of Justice (Jan. 2007), available at https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/digital-evidence-courtroom-guide-law-enforcement-and-prosecutors.

29) Michael Kissiah, Open Source Intelligence Tools (OSINT), EINVESTIGATOR.COM (Jan. 14, 2022), available at https://www.einvestigator.com/open-source-intelligence-tools/.

30) OSINT Framework, GITHUB.COM (n.d.), available at https://osintframework.com/.

VOlUME 05 ISSUE 02 FEBRUARY 2022

Indexed In

Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar